NHL Workflow Guide

Competition Feeds

Standings, Rankings & Brackets

NHL standings are available for the league, conference and division and includes data fields such as Wins, Losses, OT Wins/Losses, Winning %, Conference and Division Records, Shutouts and Conference Ranking

Current Season Standings:

Standings are specific to the season type being requested (PRE, REG, POST)

• Preseason Standings - Includes wins and losses exclusively related to the preseason and stop updating during Game 1 of the regular season.
• Regular Season Standings - Includes wins and losses exclusively related to the regular season and stop updating once the postseason begins. In conjunction with the schedule, this can be used to build a playoff bracket, as described below.
• Postseason Standings - Includes wins and losses that are exclusively related to the postseason and do not carry over any regular season or preseason wins and losses. Note that this does not include information to build a playoff bracket; that information can be found within the Schedules & Gameday Info feed alongside the regular season standings.

NHL Playoffs:

The playoffs comprise eight teams from each of the two conferences, each containing two divisions. A playoff bracket can be constructed as follows:

• The top three teams in each division automatically qualify (DivisionRank 1, 2, and 3).
• The next two teams are wild cards who did not finish top three in their division but have the next-best conference record. These can be derived by finding the best  ConferenceRank that does not have a DivisionRank of 1, 2, or 3.
  • For example, in the 2023-24 season, Tampa Bay finished 4th in the Atlantic Division, but actually had a better record than 3rd place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. By having a DivisionRank of 4 and a ConferenceRank of 6, they enter the playoffs as a wildcard team.

First Round matchups:

• The lower-seeded of the two wildcard teams - the one with the inferior record - plays the DivisionRank 1 team with the better regular season record.
• The higher-seeded of the two wildcard teams plays against the DivisionRank 1 team with the inferior regular season record.
• The two DivisionRank 2 teams play the two DivisionRank 3 teams.
• The divisions sit adjacent on the bracket. So for example, the DivisionRank 1 team from the Atlantic's game sits immediately above the game between 2 and 3 from the Atlantic division, and so on for the Metropolitan etc

Second Round matchups (Division Semifinals):

• The winner of 1 vs. Wildcard plays the winner of 2 vs. 3 from that division.

Conference Finals:

• Division winners within each conference compete against each other (i.e. Atlantic vs. Metropolitan, Central vs. Pacific).

Stanley Cup Finals:

• The two conference champions meet to compete for the Stanley Cup.

Teams, Players & Rosters

NHL Teams, Players, and Rosters update regularly throughout the calendar year. During the NHL offseason, expect to see frequent updates as players are cut, traded, and signed to rosters in anticipation of the regular season. 

• Player Profiles include name, roster status, position, jersey, shoots right/left (skaters), catch hand (goalies), height/weight, and hometown.
• Team Profiles include name, division/conference, team colors (hexadecimal format), coach, and home stadium.
• We track and manage all in-season and offseason roster moves, free agent signings, drafts, and retirements.
• All NHL PlayerID's start with 300.

NHL Free Agency

Free agency begins each year in early July. This is the period when you will see impending free agents receive a Status = Inactive, and also when players are able to negotiate and sign contracts with new teams.

• All signings are kept up to date with the latest news and official sources.

NHL Draft Coverage

The NHL Draft is not covered live. Following the NHL Draft, players are not guaranteed to sign with the NHL team that drafted them. Players can return to college, choose to play international hockey, or accept an official NHL team offer.

• NHL Draft prospects are created once they sign NHL contracts following the draft, and assigned an Active or Minors status accordingly.

NHL All Star Game Coverage

• Rosters and projections are not available for the NHL All Star Game; however, each team will be provided a TeamID that can be found in our Teams (All) endpoint.

Available Data Points

A full list of available data fields can be found here:

• PlayerBasic
• TeamBasic
• Team

Venues & Officials

Venues:

• NHL stadiums remain relatively static. However, new stadium records are created for neutral site games, as well as any new arenas. When existing arenas receive a name change, the StadiumID will remain the same but the Name field will be updated accordingly. Note that StadiumID is unique per sport.
  • For example, if the Bruins host the Winter Classic at Fenway Park, the StadiumID used in NHL is not guaranteed to match the StadiumID in MLB.

Officials:

SportsDataIO does not track NHL officials.

Event Feeds

Schedules & Game Day Info

The NHL will release the schedule on a specific date which varies year-to-year but usually occurs in mid-July. SportsDataIO updates schedule records immediately after official announcements, with the full schedule typically available within 24 hours.

In the event an NHL game is postponed (for reasons such as weather, safety concerns, or scheduling conflicts), the original GameID will receive a Status= 'Postponed' and a new GameID is created for the rescheduled game.

NHL playoff games are created and populated in the schedule feeds once both teams are known and the league has announced the playoff series schedule. If  a series ends prior to the maximum number of scheduled games are played, the originally scheduled but unnecessary games will still appear in the API with a Status = 'NotNecessary'. Games for subsequent playoff rounds are only generated once the previous playoff round is fully completed.

Any regular season games ending in a shootout after the overtime period will carry a Status = 'F/SO'. During the playoffs, there will be no shootouts; consecutive 20-minute overtime periods are played until a team scores.

• All game dates and times are Eastern Time Zone.

Scores & Game State

Scores and Game State are updated live during all games, along with the final score being provided after the game is completed and verified.

• Score includes the score for every period plus the final score for both teams.
• Game State includes things like score, current period, last play, time remaining, possession and if the game is in overtime.

Final Only (No Game State)

• Final score results are delivered after the event is final and are delivered in period and total score values. Final scores are available around 5-10 minutes after each game concludes.
• A full list of available score details can be found here:
  • Game
  • ScoreBasic

Live & Final (With Game State)

• Live Game coverage is delivered when an event "Status" field switches from "Scheduled" to "InProgress"
• Game State data is updated alongside all other live in-game data, with a delay approximately 15-20 seconds behind the TV broadcast.
• Live scores are delivered in period and total score values.
• Final Scores are available at the conclusion of each event.
• A full list of available game state details can be found here:
  • Game
  • ScoreBasic

Team & Player Stats

Team and Player Stats are managed on a game by game basis as well as season long totals. Stats are updated in season for every game, along with detailed Box Score level information for each particular game.

Final Only

• NHL team and player stats are delivered after the event is final - typically 5-10 minutes after each game concludes.
• Each game's final player stats are added to a player's and team's Season Stats once the game's final player stats are verified by our team (approximately 1 hour after each game is completed).
• A full list of available stats can be found here:
  • PlayerGame
  • TeamGame
  • PlayerSeason
  • TeamSeason

Live & Final

• NHL team and player Game Stats delivered as "Live" include live stat updates throughout the game, typically 15-20 seconds behind the TV broadcast.
• Each game's final player stats are added to a player's and team's Season Stats once the game's final player stats are verified by our team (approx 1 hour after each game is completed).
• A full list of available stats can be found here:
  • PlayerGame
  • TeamGame

Play by Play

Play by Play feeds includes a description of every play that is made throughout the game, players involved, and the result.

• Coverage includes a breakdown of every play including a description of the the offensive play, defensive player, outcome, penalties, and game clock time stamp, the stats earned by involved players on the play, the result of the play and starting/ending Game State info.

Final Only

• Final Play by Play feeds are available approximately 30 to 60 minutes after the game.
• The NHL play-by-play cannot be used to track player shift data, total ice time, or who is on the ice at a given time. If you need to see how much ice time a player accumulated during a game, you can use our Box Score or Player Game Stats - by Date endpoint to see total ice time during and after a game.
• A full list of available stats can be found here:
  • Play

Live & Final

• Live Play by Play typically updates 15-20 seconds behind the TV broadcast.
• The NHL play-by-play cannot be used to track player shift data, total ice time, or who is on the ice at a given time. If you need to see how much ice time a player accumulated during a game, you can use our Box Score or Player Game Stats - by Date endpoint to see total ice time during and after a game.
• A full list of available stats can be found here:
  • Play

Player Feeds

Depth Charts, Lineups & Injuries

Goalie Depth Charts and Lineups

• SportsDataIO monitors official team news, credible media reports, and above all past performance to denote who is likely the leading goalkeeper in a given team. Goalies may occupy slots on the depth chart either as undisputed solo goalies, or tandem, where two goalies of relatively even strength may rotate.
• Projected Goaltenders for a given game are made available around 9:00 pm EST on the night preceding a game, and updated as news is announced leading up to the game. 
• Starting Goaltenders are confirmed within minutes of the formal announcement, typically the morning of games via announcement . 
• The starting lineup, such as the the first line to take the ice, is not known until the game begins. SportsDataIO does not provide coverage on the first line to take the ice in a game.

NHL Line Combos

• For skater positions, the NHL does not offer depth charts per se. Instead, line combos are used to determine combinations of skaters in each position who tend to be on the ice at the same time.
• There are two main ways of identifying line combinations: at the team level or the player level. 
• The Line Combinations endpoint only reflects the most recent line combinations for teams. Historical line combinations are not available.
• SportsDataIO monitors official team news, credible media reports, and above all past performance to denote who skates alongside whom in NHL games.
• When all players are fit and healthy, teams tend to stick with winning line combos and as such they do not change very often mid-season; however, during injuries, suspensions, concerns over skater form etc. they can change. Consequently these are updated throughout the season.
• See the tables PlayerLine and TeamLine and these key fields that should be consulted:
  • EvenStrengthLines: When teams are skating five-on-five (or, in overtime, three-on-three), these are the line combinations of three forwards and two defensemen.
    • The LineType of EV indicates an even strength line.
    • These are indicated by LineNumber, showing which player record corresponds to each line.
  • PowerPlayLines: When a team is on a power play (i.e. the opposing team is one or two skaters short due to penalties), these are the lines they will use to attack.
    • The LineType of PP indicates a power play line.

Injuries

• InjuryStatus is defined as a player's game status (Probable, Questionable, Doubtful, or Out).
  • In the NHL, there is an Injured Reserve list that teams can use to manage their rosters in the case of long-term absences. However, players dealing with short-term injuries may be kept on the active roster. Thus, a player can be listed as Active but still Out via InjuryStatus.
  • For this reason, InjuryStatus should be used to determine if a player will play or is likely to miss a game.

• InjuryBodyPart: The body part affected.
  • Note that NHL teams are not required to fully disclose all injury information. In the NHL, unlike other sports, injuries are typically more ambiguous and generic body parts, such as lower body or upper body, are much more common.

• InjuryStartDate: The date at which the player's injury was first verified.

• InjuryNote: A written description of a player's injury, e.g.: "Moore is dealing with an upper body injury and has been placed on the short-term injured reserve list."
  • Note that while this written description may contain a predicted return date, this is neither a statistical value returned as a date field, nor one that is guaranteed to be correct. By its nature, projecting returns from injuries is an inexact science, and thus these notes should be used only for guidance.

Betting Feeds

Game Lines

Game lines (spread, moneyline, totals) available as both pre-match and in-play, including timestamps for opening price, all line movement changes, and closing price, with optional resulting available as an add-on.

• Odds are made available when sportsbooks publish opening lines, typically following the conclusion of the prior game.
• Includes full-game odds markets plus partial game lines such as periods.

Pre-Game Lines

• NHL Pre Game Lines are made available the day before the game.
• If a team has multiple days between games, they may be available earlier, these game lines will update as the games approach and announcements are made following morning skate.

Pre-Game Lines Plus

• Resulting: See our Betting Guide for available markets with resulting and how it works.
• Line Movement: The Betting Guide also explains how to access the Betting Market endpoints to view an individual market's movement.

In-Play Lines

• In-game odds will begin to populate for moneyline, point spread, and over/under once the game begins.

In-Play Lines Plus

• Resulting: See our Betting Guide for available markets with resulting and how it works.
• Line Movement: The Betting Guide also explains how to access the Betting Market endpoints to view an individual market's movement.

Props

• Team, Game, and Player Props are all covered for each game.
• NHL prop markets are generally made available 48 to 24 hours before game time, depending on the preceding game calendar.

Props Plus

• Resulting: See our Betting Guide for available markets with resulting and how it works.
• Line Movement: The Betting Guide also explains how to access the Betting Market endpoints to view an individual market's movement.

Futures

• Team, League, and Player Futures are all covered within the NHL Odds solution. 
• We are at the discretion of the sportsbooks as to when betting markets become available via their API delivery
• NHL Draft lottery futures begin to populate about two months before the lottery drawing and are regularly maintained up until the start of the event.
• NHL Draft futures begin to populate 4-6 weeks before the draft and are regularly maintained up until the start of the event.
• NHL Player and Team futures begin to populate in the middle of June and are regularly maintained up until the conclusion of that upcoming season.

Matchups, Trends & Splits

Matchup Stats

NHL Match Ups and Trends are run at the Team level and update regularly as each game occurs.

Betting Splits

NHL Betting Splits begin to populate shortly after Game lines are posted and action is taken by the sportsbooks. Betting Splits are available at the discretion of sportsbooks making the data available.

Fantasy Feeds

Legacy Projections

• Player projections are provided through SportsDataIO's proprietary in-house machine learning models and are available 5 days before the game begins. 
• On the day of games, NHL projections for players are customized specifically to that day's game by 11 am EST each game day and will be updated every 15 minutes until the puck drops.
• SportsDataIO does not have season long projections for the NHL. 
• It is important to know the NHL specific points and scoring system is different across fantasy and DFS operators.To learn more, see our Fantasy Points Calculations.

Salaries & Slates

• NHL salaries and slates are available for FanDuel, DraftKings, and Yahoo.
• As this is an aggregated product, DFS Salaries & Slates become available once we receive them from the various DFS operators. Typically operators publish slates and salaries as early as 24 hours before the contest starts, but may be published closer to the start of a contest.
• New slates should become available in the feed within 30 minutes of an operator publishing them.

News & Images

Player News & Notes

• Player News & Notes provides short-form blurbs about relevant player news throughout the league, updated both in-season and during the off-season, provided by RotoBaller and Rotoworld.
• News Blurbs contain approximately 200 words, and no image.
• RotoBaller tags for each story may include: Top Headlines, Breaking News, Injury, Sit/Start, Waiver Wire, Risers, Fallers, Lineups, Transactions, Free Agents, Prospects/Rookies, Game Recap, Matchup Outlook.
• News is written, edited, and published around-the-clock (24-hour news cycle). However, the news teams are based in the US, so most write-ups are published during daytime hours in the US.

News data can be called at the player or team level. For generic league level news see our previews, recaps, and breaking news data source.

Rotoballer News

NHL RotoBaller news is available directly through a SportsDataIO Endpoint. 

Previews, Recaps & Breaking News

Beyond just player news and notes, SportsDataIO has partnered with Field Level Media and Knup Solutions to support our clients with expanded news services which include:

Editorial Wire Service: This includes more than 30,000 long-form content pieces in total across all leagues (previews, recaps, breaking news) with an associated image attached to each article. Please contact us to learn more about how we can connect you with newswire articles.

Custom News: For bespoke articles created to fit your project, please contact us.

AI-generated news: For procedurally-generated news based on data inputs, please contact us.

Expanded news access is delivered via external sources and for access please reach out to your SportsDataIO Sales Representative or sales@sportsdata.io

• Previews, Recaps, and Breaking News are available year round.
• Your SportsDataIO Client Manager can facilitate an introduction with appropriate news partners.
• These feeds are accessed directly through partner sites and not SportsDataIO endpoints.

Player Headshots

• NHL headshots are available directly through a SportsDataIO Endpoint.
• NHL headshots update in October each year.
  • All of our headshots are cropped 1200x1200 pixels with 300 ppi resolution.
  • Headshots are the property of the photographers that take them and the publishers that make them available, and as such we work with major providers to ensure that we have the best in licensed headshots.
  • We offer headshots directly through our own API. These are converted action shots: action photos that are cropped to headshot dimensions.
  • We make them available either with the original background, or with the background removed.
  • SportsDataIO can facilitate contact with other relevant third parties if required. Please contact us with your needs for a quote.